Utah Boy Scout leaders demonstrate intolerance, hate

Monday , February 04, 2013 - 2:23 PM

M. Diane Krantz

Editor,

As a lesbian and a person who has lived and worked in Utah for the past seventeen years, I wasn’t surprised that the Utah Boy Scouts are exerting pressure on the national organization to “delay” (as in reverse) its decision to allow gay members (Feb. 2, “Utah Boy Scouts recruit 33 groups in an effort to delay gay policy decision”).

I was, however, angry at the hypocrisy of a state that represents itself as “pro-family” and yet models for its children intolerance, revulsion, hate, and discrimination. No amount of telling people, especially young people, “we love you” compensates for making sure that anyone different is not allowed to enjoy rights and privileges that the majority has. This stance does discriminate. It is intolerant. It is hateful. It does not reflect the values that supposedly underlie the scouting movement itself. Nor is there anything about being gay that would prevent a young man from “achieving [his] full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potential, as [an] individual, as [a] responsible citizen and as [a] member of [his] local, national and international communities.” Shame on Utah Boy Scout leaders.